Knit article and method of making the same.



APPLICATION FILED JULY 14, I915.

Patented July 24, 1917.

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R; W. SCOTT.

KNIT ARTICLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14. I9l5. 1 34,703. Patented July 24, 1917.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT W. SCOTT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 SCOTT &-WILLIAMS,

INCORPORATED, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHIL.

SETTS.

KNIT ARTICLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

Specification ot Letzers Patent. Patented J uly 24, 1917.

Application filed July 14, 1915. Serial No. 39,888.

to knit fabrics having a taperedarea or areas joined together or to theremainder of the fabric by a suture or interloopment, of the generalclass disclosed in my application Serial No. 814,480 filed J anuary 26,1914. (L1ett)ers Patent 1,150,548, dated August 17, 19 5.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the foot portion of a stocking embodyingmy invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view-showing a modified form;

Figs. 3, 4 and'5 are diagrams illustrating the method of making atypical fabric;

Fig. 6 is a dia ram elevation of a foottop section showing the junctureof said section with the adjoining portions of the fabric.

Fabrics of the classv referred to are tubular fabrics such as seamlessstockings having at the top of the foot a tapered area such as R, havingselvages at its edges occurring in integral sutures J joining a soleportion S and said area R,said stocking having if desired the usual legL, a high spliced area H, and a heel having the usual narrowed gore Nand widened gore W. The foot-top and sole portions may be reverselytapered in opposite directions, my said prior disclosure explaining amethod of making the fabric on a circle or other endless series ofneedles by knitting whichever-section is first knit by areciprocaloperation on a diminishing 'number of needles, the end needlesbeing put out ofaction' one after the other at the respective sides ofthe tapered sec.- tion, the complementary widened half of the foot tubebeing thereafter knit on a complementary part of the series of needles.

This operation involves knitting recipro- R cally on an increaslngseries of needles, op-

posite. or complementary to those on which the narrowed section wasformed, those needles which have been put out of action while retainingthe end loops of the previously knit fabric section being restored toaction successively during knitting of the widened area, to interknitthe last loops of wales extinguished by narrowing with the initial loopsof the added wales 0f the widened area.

I will now describe an improved procedure at a point in the operationbetween.

the end of narrowing and the beginning of widening, and a new fabricstructure formed theregysat the junction between the fabrics Referringnow toFigs 1 and 3, after having in any usual manner knit the leg L andheel, as upon a circle of needles, or upon two or more straight rows, orupon-any other endless arrangement of knitting instruments, and whenline a, b, d has been reached, a tapered foot-top R may be begun, upon asegment X of the needles opposite the needles of the back-half Y usuallyemployed for knitting heels and toes. This segment may be more than halfthe needles if. desired, as indicated in Fig. 3, including at' each endseveral of the needles Y, but I may employ the remaining procedures tobe described in connection with a section R having its widest portionknit upon half-of the needles or less only, said needles of series Xthen all being of the usual instep half. Having placed out of action andretained the last knit loops at line b, d reciprocally lmit narrowed webR is formed,the knitting wave and yarn guide 2 therewith moving throughan are central of needles X, one or more of the needles at theends ofsaid segment X being placed out of action while retaining their loops atintervals of one or more reciprocal courses, as explained in my saidapplication, the operation continuing until only those needles of thesegment a: are in action, at which time the section R will have beencompleted to the line e, f. The needles of segment a: are now put out ofaction, holding loops at said line 6, f, while the terminal loops of thenarrowing courses along the edges of section remain suspended upon saidend needles. The terminal loops of the 'gore W of the heel at line b, dexcept any that have been formed on needles X, still remain upon theneedles of the segment 3 According to my said prior disclosure,reciprocal knitting now immediately begins upon the complementary partof the series of needles, as illustrated upon the segment y (that is,upon needles at line b, 03, upon which there has been no knitting duringformation of section B) as indicated by the position of yarn guide 2 inFig. 5, the needles holding the loops of the narrowing coursessuccessively being added. to the segment in operation. Upon passing fromthe loops last knit at e, f, to the first course of the complementarywidened portion at the line b, d, if a continuous knitting yarn was inuse the said yarn was removed from or floated behind the needles betweenthe last needle 50 of the segment 00 holding the loops at line 6, f, andthe first needle 51 of segment y about to be operated to knit at line b,d.

The yarn for the initial course of the area S, when a continuation ofthe yarn of the last course of the section R, thus floated unknit fromthe last course of the section B to the first course of the section S orthe yarn left the fabric in the course at e, f, and

the same or another yarn replaced it for the next lmit course at line'b,(1. Instead of so floating or removing the yarn when the operation iscompleted to the line 6, f, the last course now ending at the needle 50at one end of the series of needles or segmentm, the center of the areor line of reciprocation is now shifted to the other side of the seriesof needles ,or needle circle, as

shown in Fig. 5, the yarn m (Fig. 6) being supplied as indicated in Fig.4 to the needles intervening between needle 50 and the first needle 51of the segment 3 and loops being knitat said needles from said yarn,prior to beginning knitting for the widened segment S at the firstneedle 51 of segment 3 thereby forming a course of loops through each ofthe detained loops along one of the sutures J. During or prior to thelast course of the narrowed fabric R, I may exchange the yarn m of whichsection B was knit for a yarn n suitable for the section" S, as shown atC in Fig. 6, and this yarn will be knit along the suture J on theapproach to the segment of the needles, upon which the first course ofthe section S is now to be knit- Referring now to Fig. 6, while thesalvage loops of section B at the needles intervening between the needle50 and the needle 51 are cast off of said needles, new loops 1) of theyarn n are retained upon said needles.

The needles of the segment X including those holding the loops 1) maynow be placed out of action rior to knitting the widened section S, butin some cases I. prefer as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 6 to continue theoper- 5 ation indicated in Fig. 1 by knitting a circular course orcourses w upon all the nee dles including each of the needles of the.segment y, and the complementary segment X, said course containing loops(1 of the yarn n in the opposite suture J'-. and containing a loop knitat each needle until the segment 1 at the needle 51 is again reached. Ifdesired several courses of the yarn n may be knit on all the needles.

Having again reached the segment y the needles of the segment X are nowplaced out of action while holdin their loops, and reciprocal knittingbeginning at the segnlenty and widening by restoring needles of thesegment X in turn to operation at the ends of the segment 1 proceeds, toform the widened section S. Reciprocal knitting ceases at the line f, gas described in my said application, and the usual toe T may thereafterbe knit.

It is desirable in some cases when knitting the circular course orcourses n; of the yarn n to cause a greater draft of stitch at theneedles, or locally at the needles upon which the courses are reversedfor widening and narrowing, loops 7) and Q respectively being robbedwhen the fabric is completed and stretched to provide yarn for thesinker Wale floats p and q extending across the eyelet holes formed inthe sutures between the interknitloops of sections R, S, the describedmethod of forming the sutures resulting in sinker wale floats ofabnormal length when the fabric is stretched lengthwise. The yarn n may,as indicated in the drawings, be exchanged for anothr yarn' '1' prior toknitting the section S, if desired, and in this case the ornamentalefl'ect illustrated in Fig. 2 will result when the yarn n is of adifierent color or kind from the yarns m or r.

Important results of my present method are to prevent long floated yarnsand to permit the manufacture to be carried out upon certain types ofmachine in which it is desirable or necessary to maintain the continuityof knitting during all relative movements of the needles and the yarnguide and cams such as will occur when the reciprocal arc is shiftedfrom one side tothe other side of the needles, thus avoiding theprovision of means for preventing knitting movements of segments of theneedles other than the usual and front and back halves, or of devicesfor operating some of the needles in the absence of yarn in such amanner as to prevent them from casting off their loops.

From the point of view of the article produced, my new fabric is of.advantage by reason of the ornamental effect of the courses of the yarn'n, and because of the partial concealment of the eyelet holes formed infloats p, 9' formed in the circular courses at the diagonal sutures.

What I claim is:

1. A stocking comprising at the top of the foot a tapered area. havingselvages at the edges of said area occurring in integral sutures joiningthe sole portion of said foot and said area, one or more of said suturescomprising a course of knit loops intervening between said selvages.

2. A seamless stocking having at the foot a narrowed top, and anoppositely widened sole, said sections being joined by a course orcourses of intervening fabric interknit with both sections.

3. A seamless stocking having at the top of the foot a tapered areahaving selvages, and an oppositely tapered area at the sole havingselvages, said areas being joined by fabric having needle loopsinterknit with adjacent selvages of said areas.

4. A circular knit seamless stocking having a foot comprising areciprocally knit tapered foot top, and a reciprocally knit sole taperedin the opposite direction, said sections being joined by suturescontaining a complete circular course or courses.

5. A knit article having a plurality of selvaged sections side by side,said sections being joined by a course or courses of knitting havingneedle loops engaging each of said sections at intervals of a pluralityof courses, sinker-Wale loops of said course or courses extendingbetween said needle loops in the direction of said suture or juncture,whereby the eyelet holes in said suture are concealed.

6. A tubular knit fabric having side by side regularly narrowed andregularly widened areas, said sections respectively diminishing andincreasing in the same direction, and a course or courses of knit loopsat the end of one section, at the juncture between said sections and atthe beginning of the other section.

7. A stocking comprising a tubular foot having a tapered area at the topthe widest portion of which comprises more than half the width of thetube, and a complementary sole portion integrally joined to said taperedarea.

8. A circular knit seamless stocking having a foot comprising areciprocally knit ta pered foot top, and a reciprocally knit soletapered in the opposite direction, said sections being joined byintegral sutures, the widest part of said foot top being wider than thecomplementary part of said sole.

9. The art of knitting tubular fabrics having oppositely taperedareas'side by side comprising the following steps; first knitting aseries of reciprocal courses at a successively diminishing number .ofinstruments; thereafter knitting an intervening course or courses at theend and along an edge of the fabric so formed, and thereafter knittingthe complementary part of said fabric by forming successively widenedreciprocal courses beginning at a place in the fabric corresponding tothe widest part of the narrowed area and engaging loops of saidintervening course or courses at the ends of said widened courses.

10. The art of knitting tubular fabrics having complementarysectionsjoined by diagonal sutures comprising first knitting a narrowedsection by reciprocal knitting at a portion only of an endless series ofinstruments; thereafter knitting in continua tion of the end and side ofsaid narrowed 89 section a course or courses intervening between saidsections, and thereafter knitting a widened section at another portionof said instruments having widening wales initiated at loops of saidintervening course or courses.

11. The art of knitting tapered split-foot stockings on a circle ofneedles comprising. first knitting a tubular part, thereafter knittingin continuation of a segment of said tubular part a foot-top narrowed byreciprocal knitting on a diminishing number of said needles; thereafterknitting a course across one end of said narrowed area and along theside thereof, and at a part of said circle complementary to saidsegment, and thereafter knitting a widened sole having widening coursessuccessively engaging said course.

12. The art of knitting on a closed series of. instruments, such asknitting machine needles, tubular seamless fabrics having ad jacentoppositely tapered areas which comprises forming a tapered area upon adiminishing series of said instruments by successively retaining atsaid'instruments the end loops of reciprocal courses, thereafterknitting an intervening course or courses engaging said retained loopsand extending to another part of the series of instruments, andthereafter knitting a widened area at the instruments of said other partby increasing reciprocal courses having end loops engaging saidintervening course or courses.

13. The art of knitting tubular fabrics having tapered areas side byside on a closed series of instruments comprising the following steps;first knitting a series of reciprocal courses at a diminishing number ofinstruments, thereafter knitting an intervening course or courses insuccession at each of said instruments, and thereafter knitting thecomplementary part of said fabric by forming widened reciprocal coursesbeginning at the instruments not employed for the first mentionedoperation, said widened courses engaging 100 s of said interveningcourse or courses at t eir ends.

14. The art of knitting fabrics having complementary tapered sectionsjoined by diagonal sutures comprising first knitting a narrowed section,thereafter knitting an 5 intervening course or courses withcomparatively long knit -1o0ps, and thereafter knitting a widenedsection engagin said intervening courses at each end of t e wideningcourses; and thereafter stretching the fabric lengthwise whereby thesinker wale loops 1) of said intervening courses are elongated and theknit loops thereof are shortened.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of a subscribing witness.

ROBERT W. SCOTT. Witness:

RUTH A. Rom.

